The Staff of St. Patrick Cathedral offer our congratulations on your engagement, and we pray that God will bless and guide you in your preparation for marriage! Your wedding day will be a very special one for you and we want to do all that we are able to insure that it will be filled with joy; that it will be a blessed, holy and prayerful celebration.

“But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Couples desiring to be married should contact the Marriage Coordinator, Mary Lou Schulz at the parish office at least twelve months in advance.

Marriage Preparation Guidelines:

Preparation will take place at your home parish

Both the bride and the groom or at least one of the couple is Catholic

At least 18 years of age

Attend Mass weekly

After you have met all the above requirements, please contact the Marriage Coordinator, Mary Lou Schulz, at (817)332-4915 ext. 23 to arrange an appointment. Appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Please do not reserve a venue for your reception until after you have signed the church reservation agreement. We cannot guarantee the date will be available until the Church agreement is signed and received.

Our weddings are Friday at 2:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with the rehearsal the day before. St. Patrick Cathedral does not have weddings during Lent or Advent.

​

Preparation at another Parish:

Please call the marriage coordinator at St. Patrick Cathedral (817-332-4915) for details

Affidavit of Free status (the form will be provided to you when you meet with the wedding coordinator).

All required documents need to be received two months prior to the wedding date.

Marriage Preparation Requirements:

Once you have met with the Marriage Coordinator at St. Patrick or your home parish and set a date for your wedding you should allow at least eight to twelve months, to prepare for the sacrament of marriage. Engaged couples will need to plan and be able to have several meetings during the preparation time. Various diocesan programs are required aspects of marriage preparation. These include the following:

Pre-Cana

Fully-Engaged Sponsor Couple Sessions

Meetings with either the priest or deacon

Attendance at weekly Sunday Mass

Natural Family Planning Classes - Natural family planning is a method used by couples as a means of achieving or avoiding a pregnancy. It fosters respect and acceptance of the total person by teaching couples the nature of fertility. Marriages are enriched through a mutual understanding of the shared responsibility for family planning, creating a deeper appreciation for the value of life. Natural Family Planning is up to 99% effective in spacing births.For more information on Natural Family Planning, please visit www.fwdioc.org.

Ceremony Planning

An information booklet, Together for Life, will be provided to you when you have your first meeting with the marriage coordinator. After this is reviewed and you have made your selections, you will complete the Liturgy form by clicking on the Liturgy/Music icon below. All preparation needs to be completed two months prior to the date of the wedding.

Musicians need to be contracted at least two months prior to the wedding date. This is arranged through the Music Director.

Contact the Wedding Coordinator, twelve weeks prior to the wedding.

Marriage License

You will need to go to the County Clerk’s office to pick up your civil license. The license must be in the hands of the marriage coordinator no later than two months prior to the wedding date. Or one month if you are doing your marriage preparation at another parish.

Annulment

The Tribunal of the Diocese of Fort Worth is the office which adjudicates the marital status in the Catholic Church of any divorced person who has requested a declaration of nullity (an Annulment) of a previous marriage. The Tribunal exercises its ministry of truth and justice in a spirit of compassion and confidentiality according to the teaching and practice of the Catholic Church. All who share in this ministry commit themselves to mutual support and ongoing formation in the Church’s canon law and its practical application. Click here to learn more about the Tribunal of the Diocese of Fort Worth.